Chapter 256: 242

With Zamonglass' sword in my hand, I aimed for his neck with every ounce of my being.

But the blade was stopped in mid-air.

「I haven't said anything about starting yet though」

「Who cares?」

I let go of the sword and had Agathion attack him from above. It too was stopped by something not easily discernible. But that was just a feint.

I placed my hand on my main weapon.

The iai-draw that cannot be defended against if caught off guard. The blade that slides out of the scabbard is―――――――

「Gah!」

Before I could draw it out, I was slammed to the ground. I immediately tried to get up, but I could feel something like the butt of a spear pressing down on my back, preventing me from getting back up.

「Listen to me」

「I want no words with you!」

「Look then」

The darkened plain was filled with green light. It was a fantastical sight that I had seen before.

Giving form to what was indiscernible, the light turned into hundreds of knights.

An army of spirits.

One of the rumors about him had manifested itself before my very eyes.

「These are the knights of Elysium who are still loyal to me even in death. If you say you won't heed my words……」

「Agathion!」

I repelled the spear with the magic sword and got to my feet.

Drawing Irvin's sword, I took up a fighting stance, but found myself hemmed in by spears and swords, making it impossible for me to try anything.

「………Well, fine. Let me ask you one question while you’re like this」

Being surrounded like this, there was no way for me to find an opening and escape.

「You who’s called Souya, what do you desire?」

「………………Right now, I want your life, Prince of Beasts」

「Why?」

「Because you're my enemy」

「Enemy, huh? And who is it that imprinted this idea that I'm your enemy on you?」

「Ah?」

「Those eyes. You must have contracted with that woman as well」

The impact of being forced to the ground earlier had knocked my glasses askew.

I stared at him with the same golden eyes as his.

「The miracles of the gods are, in the end, the imposition of their wills. What the gods deem righteous is good, and what the gods deem evil is wrong. There’s no space for human will there」

Don't give me that bullshit.

It's bullshit.

「Don't try to fool me. I know about them all. The misdeeds you've committed. The people you’ve trampled underfoot. The countries you've destroyed. The woman whose fate you’ve derailed!」

Emotions swirled uncontrollably in my brain.

「What a fool. Did you never stop to think that even those memories and emotions are things that have been imposed upon you?」

「Wh…at?」

「The gods deceive people. They're things that change the core(roots) of people. You’re a foreigner. You’re different from those who were born into this world and poisoned by the gods from the start. Do you remember the will you initially had? What was your purpose for coming to this world? Do you not realize that forgetting that is a fraud on the part of the gods?」

「………………」

I was at a loss for words.

That certainly rings a bell.

When I jumped over to this world, I came with some great purpose in mind. And that's something I cannot recall right now. Because I didn't understand it, I’ve avoided thinking about it.

That nagging feeling has now become a crushing sense that something is wrong which weighs heavily on me.

My will to fight dulled ever so slightly.

「If you think Elysium is guilty of oppressing the beastkin, then you're very much mistaken. Certainly, in today's world, the beastkin are at the bottom of society. However, this is due to the strength of the beastkin race. If they're set free and liberated, the Hemu race will be easily swallowed up by the beastkin」

「I don't think Hemus are as weak as you make them out to be. In reality, it's Hemus who are ruling the world」

The prince set his helmet on the ground and sat down on it before continuing.

「They rule out of fear. The fall of the current rulers will lead to their immediate destruction. The Hemu race can be used up and wiped out very easily. We’re weak, and that's why we rule and oppress the other races. You may laugh at our shallowness, but you can only afford to do so because you live in a world freed from the domination of the beastkin」

The prince extended his hand and made a fist.

「I know about them all. The evil schemes of the wretched dwarves and elves, and the fearsome might of the beastkin. My father was able to prevail simply because luck was on his side. That he managed to pull through it all is as miraculous as throwing a thread through the eye of a needle. Now that is truly the work of the true god――――――」

「What's your point?」

With his roundabout words, the prince was hiding his true feelings and delaying the main issue.

「On this land, there was once a country called Beliale. The name of its king was Lars. He was a foreigner just like you. In his foolishness, he built a country where beastkin and the other races were placed on equal footing as Hemus. The result of that was a death befitting a fool. Do you know about the city sprawled out beneath Lemuria? There's a line there that goes something like this」

「“We were not destroyed by the beasts. We were destroyed by our own foolishness”」

Why?

Why was hearing this man talk about this so extremely unpleasant to me?

「That's the one. It's exactly as those words say. The country of Beliale was brought to ruin by the technology of the dwarves, the emotions of the beastkin, and the rebelliousness of the elves. The elves knew nothing but to plot against and con other races. The beastkin acted on their emotions alone, just like beasts. The dwarves had no interest in anything but their own inventions. It's this foolish intermingling of races that destroyed the country of Lars, the King of the Plain. And that’s a microcosm of this world」

「tch」

I struggled………………to stifle my laughter.

I started to shudder at the sheer stupidity of it all.

「Listen, Souya, if you offer me your life and pledge your allegiance to me――――――」

「Shut up. You cheap con-man」

「………What?」

The fact that I had hit the nail on the head was written all over his face.

「I'll enlighten you since you're so ignorant of history. The country of【Wise King Lars】, who was so wise in his love for the world, perished sealing away a method of opposing the beasts. How laughable. You call yourself the ruler of the world and yet, you don't even know about the existence of the【Abaddon】. You're even more of a piece of trash than that adventurer who has lost all his hair and become a baldy」

「………………F, fufu」

He looked pleased.

The prince chuckled, looking very pleased indeed.

「You got me on that one. In return, I'll tell you the truth about Beliale. Lars begged me to spare his people in exchange for his life. I generously granted his wish.

But first, I tortured him, tormented him, and then sent him back to his people in tatters.

What followed was the funniest thing.

The very people he loved so much came together to avenge their king. Against me. The foolish scum who loved their tattered king turned their swords on me.

I was going to spare them in exchange for Lar's life. But it's a different story for those who dare raise their blades against me. When I killed the generals, the soldiers were angered. When I killed the soldiers, their families were angered. When I killed their families, their remaining kin would resent me. I took the time to kill each and every one of these ignorant fools who had no idea who their enemy really was. Until Lars was the only one left in the country」

He's finally showing his true colors.

Yeah, there's no doubt about it. This guy is my enemy. I don't need to worry if someone imprinted this on me or not. Even if this guy is not evil, I will scream this until my dying day.

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That, "He‘s the scum of the earth."

「The name【King of the Plain】is one I gave him personally. Beliale was once so prosperous that it covered half of this plain, but I wiped it out without a trace.

I held his head up and showed him the plain as far as the eye could see. But I felt a sense of pity behind his tears. I see, so it's called【Abaddon】, huh? To think that he had managed to hide it from me completely…… How interesting. So there's still destruction in this world that I don't know about, huh?」

「Let me tell you something for future reference. I’ve found loads of things more powerful than the beasts in less than a year of adventuring. What's the big deal about Elysium? Who cares about the beasts? So what about the beast-hunter princes? You all………don’t amount to much really」

「HAHAHAHAHA!」

The prince suddenly burst out laughing like a madman.

「A moron, surrounded by swords and spears and unable to move, dares to provoke me with cheap words? You're quite a piece of work, aren't you?!」

「I'll throw the same question back at you. What is it that you’re after?」

「What I'm after? Isn't it obvious? I’m constantly fighting a ruler's greatest enemy」

「Enemy, you say?」

The first thing that comes to mind is my god.

But my intuition tells me that this alone is not enough.

「Its name is "boredom". Elysium has grown too big. It has become too strong. My underlings have grown too willful, cleverly circumventing my own schemes.

That’s no good.

What I want to see is not a one-sided victory. I've grown bored of that ages ago. What I want to see is a desperate and bloody conflict in which old, withered men, women, and even children take up arms. This one is pretty good, you know? No matter how many times I see it, my heart still aches with pity. It's my favorite kind of tragedy」

「I see」

I understand this guy now.

「You're the most boring son of a bitch I've ever met」

「What are you saying? There's a saying from the foreign lands that goes【Live in a way to make the uninteresting world more interesting】」

This guy……that must be something the earlier A.I. put into his head.

「In my country, we have a saying that goes【A man who needs neither money, nor honor, nor his own life, is a man who's hard to deal with】」

「Hah, what drivel」

The next line goes on to say,【Only such a person can accomplish great deeds in the world】.

This situation, this opponent, this power……the feat of defeating the man who has ruled this era from the shadows……it's easier said than done.

「Now, what kind of death do you deserve? What kind of torment is appropriate for you? Perhaps I should make you eat rats, as befits a follower of that woman――――――」

「Prince」

Suddenly, a female voice that was very out of place rang out.

A green light much like the spirits surrounding me……no, much fainter and more ethereal than theirs gave form to a plain, ordinary-looking maid that could be found anywhere.

「Who are you?」

It would appear that the prince really doesn't recognize Lys' face.

Lys looked like she had made up her mind about something. She had the face of a person who had resolved herself. The face of a martyr about to die.

I just can't understand this.

「Please forgive me for defying you. I beg forgiveness for opposing my great homeland. What I do is, as you say, nothing more than a cheap theatrical play. However, through my long years of being loyal to you, I have thought hard about this. And I was left with just one answer」

「Like I said, who the hell are you?」

Lys did not answer.

She had no time to waste on a meaningless reply. Instead, she chanted frantically.

「The gates of the netherworld, the hidden valley, the mountain so feared to be forbidden, be it a long journey or a short journey, souls return there, human souls return there, the procession of the dead and the turning back of the black reaper, for the sake of lovers, family, and friends, I release the chains that bind―――――――」

「Lys! Don't!」

My voice came out too late.

But even if it hadn't, she wouldn't have stopped anyway.

The spirit knights drove countless spears through Lys. With the spears still piercing her, they raised the spears up……

「Souya, on my long journey… In the midst of the many adventures… The food I ate with you guys tasted the best… As for the rest…」

……and the light dissipated into particles and Lys vanished.

As if she had never existed in the first place, she was gone.

「Lys……………… Hmmm, I don't know that name. Was there such a person among those who served me?」

「Youu!」

Anger welled up inside me. Pure rage against the man who couldn't even remember the names of those who served him.

「I see, you're the type who would rather suffer yourself than see others suffer, huh? Because of our alliance, I wasn't going to do anything to Lemuria, but if I kill about half of the people there, chances are I'll get someone who has something to do with you. Let's see―――――――」

The prince is dead serious.

He's someone who destroys countries for fun. In that case, I have no choice but to defeat him regardless of the cost.

Now,

「Souya-san, please hold that thought. Leave it for until the opening performance is over, alright?」

A voice rang out again.

At the same time, the wind started gusting.

The swords and spears surrounding me were forced heavenward all at once.

「Fall back for now~」

At the sound of that casual voice, I was grabbed by the collar and pulled away.

In no time at all, I had been pulled a distance from the prince’s army of spirits……

「Gashuraku-san?!」

……by the hero of the goblins.

In that case, the voice I just heard must be……

「Who's there? I'd hope it's someone who actually answers me this time」

Darkness answered the prince's question.

「It's my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ruler of this era, Master of Elysium. My name is Gormlaith. King of the Forbidden Area, Usurper, Descendant of the God of Fertility, Gormlaith Melforuna Gastolfo」

Winds blacker than the darkest night swirled and converged.

What emerged from within was a skeleton clad in a black cloak.

The skeleton had the frame of a petite Hemu. Blazing blue light gathered in its eye sockets, and around its neck was a necklace fashioned from the metal shards of a shattered crown.

One who wears the proof of a king-slayer. In this world, they are known as――――――

「People call me the Demon King」

Now that’s what I call an entrance! The first time she did this, it was rather wasted, but this is the way it’s done! Chills! Chills, I tell you!

Ahem, well, we got a good look at what kind of scum the First Hero is in this chapter as well. Yeah, he lies and manipulates, all for his own fun, to alleviate his own boredom. Are you liking how the BBEG is shaping up? Sure is easy to root against him, isn’t it? So much so that Souya was about to Wild Hunt him before the Demon King stopped him.

On that note, bye-bye, Lys…

Didn’t the Demon King say that she would only help behind the scenes? Why is she making an appearance here? And what was Lys trying to do? Stay tuned! You really don’t want to miss the next one!

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